Earlier this month, Mozilla launched an anti-NSA spying campaign called Stop Watching Us. The goal of the group is simple – pressure Congress into passing laws that remove the NSA’s ability to gather data on American citizens. In just two weeks, the petition has already proven itself to be a success.
According to the official Stop Watching Us Web site, 514,280 people have signed the petition thus far. The organizations, individuals and businesses that have signed on has also increased significantly. Some of the more illustrious individuals to sign the petition include Sir Tim Berners-Lee, John Cusack and Wil Wheaton.
The list of organizations that have signed on is even more encouraging as more than just tech groups have joined with Mozilla in pressuring congress. Political groups like the Green Party and the Mansfield Central Ohio Tea Party have joined forces with the Association of Research Libraries and YourAnonNews to fight against NSA spy programs.
Unlike other petitions that only promote slacktivism, the group behind Stop Watching Us have been incredibly proactive in contacting senators and representatives. Over one million emails have already been sent and concerned citizens have logged in over 15,000 minutes in phone calls to their representatives’ offices over the last week.
Hundreds of thousands of signatures isn’t going to enact change overnight, but it does send a strong message to lawmakers that the American people think the NSA’s powers have gotten out of hand. Some in Washington are already trying to restrict those powers with various proposed laws, but it’s going to take a lot more effort to convince everybody.
[h/t: Business Insider]